Between the Lines
by AnimationNut
Summary: After the events of A Rickle in Time, Morty is upset by Rick's apparent apathy towards him. He seeks the night air for some comfort, and ends up getting it from his sister, who is not fooled by Rick's harsh words.


**I do not own Rick and Morty.**

 **So I binge watched this show last night, and I'm only sorry I didn't get to it sooner. It's fantastic. This takes place directly after** _ **A Rickle in Time**_ **.**

 **Between the Lines**

Light spilling out of the open fridge, Rick squinted against the glare and searched for a late-night snack. "Crap….crap…even more- _urrrp_ -crap," he grumbled upon discovering nothing appetizing on the glass shelves. "Eh, screw it."

He snagged a container of leftovers from last night and shut the fridge door with his foot. He grabbed a fork and dug it into the cold casserole, making his way to the living room. He took a bite of the subpar dinner dish and went over to the couch. He was about to collapse into the cushions when he happened to glance out the large glass window and paused.

Sitting in front lawn, just in front of the window, was Morty. His head was tilted upwards, eyes locked on the inky black expanse above, the one they had travelled many times. Furrowing his brow, Rick chewed thoughtfully on the casserole and turned towards the front door, intending to see what his grandson was up to.

But he barely took a step when heavy _thuds_ sounded on the stairs. He stilled and watched as Summer bounced down, her eyes half-lidded. A yawn escaped her and she quickly covered her mouth as she shuffled over to the front door. Hidden by the darkness of the living room, Rick went unnoticed by the seventeen-year-old.

"Dork," she muttered aloud, removing a pink hoodie from the hook by the door. She shrugged it on and slipped her feet into a pair of sandals. She flicked the porch light on before venturing outside. Rick turned his gaze to the window, watching Morty's head turn in surprise as his sister walked across the grass and sat beside him.

"What the hell are they doing?" Rick muttered. Curiosity overpowering hunger, he set the dish carelessly on the couch and strode over to the front door, which Summer had left ajar. He slipped outside silently, avoiding the stark glow of the porch light and settling in the shadows. He leaned against the side of the house and eavesdropped on his grandkids.

"It's three in the morning, loser," Summer was saying, her knees tucked against her chest. "You didn't have another nightmare about the laser-shooting penguins, did you?"

Morty flushed, thought it was difficult to tell in the darkness. "S-shut up, Summer. It was a really s-scary dimension and t-those penguins were really creepy. You weren't there."

"Obviously," she drawled. "So, spill. What are you doing out here?"

He returned his attention to the night sky, staring at the sparkling silver stars. "Rick said something that's b-been bothering me."

Rick's lazy, observing expression sharpened at Morty's words. Summer tilted her head to the side, eyes calculating. "He says a lot of things that bother you. But…was it something that happened recently?"

Morty nodded, gaze lowering. "During the whole ripping time apart f-fiasco."

Summer mulled over the events in her mind, trying to pinpoint the memory that would have caused her brother to become upset. "Alright, I give up," she said finally. "What was it?"

"I-I don't really want to tell you."

Summer frowned. "Why not?"

"You didn't get upset by it like I did," he mumbled. "S-so you're gonna think I'm stupid."

"You're always stupid," Summer responded automatically. She thought for another moment before she was suddenly struck by what her brother might be referring to. "Oh-no way. You're not talking about when we were arguing about who Grampa's favourite is, are you? And he said we were both equal pieces of-"

"Yes," snapped Morty, not wanting to hear it again. He crossed his arms over his white sleep shirt, sudden tears springing to his eyes. He quickly scrubbed them away and stared at the grass by his bare feet. "I just…I just thought t-that after everything we've b-been through, he'd at least f-feel affection, or _something_."

Rick's fingers dug into the material of his lab coat. He knew his words often hurt Morty, but the kid could often brush it off, more or less. But apparently, not this time.

 _Damn kid. Is he that oblivious?_ he thought in irritation, trying to ignore the stirrings of guilt in his gut. _Doesn't he realize-?_

Loud laughter suddenly sounded, startling Rick from his thoughts. He stared at Summer, who had her head thrown back and was laughing hysterically. Morty stared at her with wide eyes before he scowled and turned away, embarrassment filling his features.

"Shut up!" he snapped. "I-It's not funny!"

"Sure it is!" Summer giggled, calming down. She looked at her brother in amusement. "Morty, you have to read between the lines."

"W-what?" he asked in confusion.

"Grampa is full of crap," pointed out Summer. "He puts up a front-a tough one. He's also not the most emotional person to begin with. So when he says we're both equal pains in his ass, he's saying he loves us both equally."

Morty eyed his sister. "R-really?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course, dork." Summer grinned. "Grampa Rick has problems vocalizing strong sentiments like that, so he buries them under harsh words in order to express them his way. It's just who he is. I doubt we'll get any serious 'I love you's' from him anytime soon, but we'll get plenty of insults that mean the same thing."

Rick snorted softly. He had meant it when he said his two grandkids were very different from each other. Summer, though she didn't look it, could be really insightful. She could look past the crap people threw at her and see the true meaning hidden within. It disturbed him, at first, because she was the only one who he couldn't trick, couldn't manipulate. Morty was the opposite-he was trusting, easy to manipulate, and hardly learned his lesson whenever he was screwed over. But it wasn't necessarily a bad thing-he was always jumping to help people out, and even if his good intentions backfired, he didn't stop.

A moment of silence passed by before Summer spoke. "You know, you are Grampa's favourite. Obviously."

"I didn't mean what I s-said," Morty said softly, feeling bad. "He d-doesn't like me more, or anything. I'm just the o-one he takes on adventures."

"Which means he likes you better." Summer ruffled his hair playfully. "It's okay. I get it, really. You make the perfect companion for him. Just ignore any future jealous spells."

"If you want t-to come with u-us sometimes I could ask Rick," offered Morty.

Summer smiled. "Yeah. That'd be cool."

"…Summer?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

She punched him playfully in the shoulder. "No probs."

 _BOOM!_

Summer and Morty shrieked as a sudden downpour started, frigid drops drenching them in seconds. "What the hell?" yelped Summer. "There wasn't a damn cloud in the sky!"

"Just get inside!" yelped Morty.

With quick speed, Rick slipped onto the porch and back inside the house. He shut the front door and locked it, smirking when the two teens rushed for cover. Spotting Rick through the small glass window, Summer scowled and beat on the door. _"Gram-pa!"_

" _Sum-mer!"_ he mocked, crossing his arms.

"Let us in, Rick!" Morty cried, tugging insistently at the door.

"Nah. You runts- _urrrp_ -could use a shower."

"Look who's talking," sneered Summer.

"We're cold!" complained Morty. "Rick!"

"Grampa!"

"Fine, whatever. Wimps. I'll let you in. But you gotta say that I'm the greatest mind the world has ever seen."

Summer set her hands on her hips. "You're the craziest mind any world has ever seen, I'll give you that."

"You're the greatest mind the world has ever seen," said Morty quickly, elbowing his sister in the side.

Huffing, Summer reluctantly echoed her brother. Satisfied, Rick unlocked the door and the two tumbled into the front hall, soaked to the bone.

"What are you doing up?" Summer asked suspiciously, taking her wet hair out of its ponytail and letting the red strands fall against her back.

"None of your business," Rick shot back.

"I'm gonna go c-change," muttered Morty, wrestling his shirt over his head. "Rick, are you gonna w-watch T.V?"

"That was the plan," drawled Rick.

"Can we watch it with you?"

He sniffed. "Whatever. So much for me time."

Smiling, Morty hurried up the stairs. Summer lingered, a knowing smile on her lips. Rick glared at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently. "Just reading between the lines."

At the dangerous expression Rick shot her, she giggled and darted up the stairs. Rick only let the smile surface when she was out of sight.

"Yeah, you're both equal pains in my ass alright."


End file.
